Modern wireless communications systems are evolving to provide high speed packet data services for users of mobile stations. One example is an ability to provide Internet access to a user of the mobile station. A wireless communication system that is rapidly evolving in this direction is a time division multiple access (“TDMA”) system known as the global system for mobile communications (“GSM”), in particular enhanced versions of GSM known as GSM+, general packet radio services (“GPRS”), enhanced general packet radio services (“EGPRS”) and GSM EDGE radio access network (“GERAN”) evolution. In EGPRS, the same access types as in GPRS are supported to establish a so-called temporary block flow (“TBF”) in the uplink direction (i.e., from the mobile station to a base station). To accomplish this, a control message used by a GPRS mobile station to request a packet channel (e.g., an 11 bit packet channel request message) is re-used for EGPRS.
A new message, the 11-bit EGPRS packet channel request message, was also introduced for EGPRS to allow the EGPRS mobile station to indicate its uplink capability for EGPRS and 8-symbol phase-shifted keying (“8-PSK”) modulation at random access by two alternative training sequences, namely, TS1 and TS2. The identification by the base station of the reception of either training sequence TS1, TS2 indicates that the mobile station supports EGPRS, while the identification of the exact training sequence, TS1, TS2, indicates whether the EGPRS mobile station supports 8-PSK modulation in the uplink. The content of the message indicates what type of access the mobile station employs.
The EGPRS packet channel request message indicates what type of access the mobile station employs. The different access types that can be used when establishing an EGPRS connection include a one-phase access request (“OPAR”), a short access request (“SAR”) and a two-phase access request (“TPAR”). The one-phase access request is the fastest and most effective way of temporary block flow establishment. The short access request is employed when a small number of radio link control (“RLC”) blocks (<=8) need to be transmitted. The two-phase access request requires more signaling than OPAR and SAR before the TBF is actually set up.
With the introduction of EGPRS2 (“EGPRS Phase 2”) and latency reduction features (herein referred to as “LATRED”), it is not possible to indicate at one-phase access the support of latency reduction features and/or EGPRS2 in the uplink. In order not to force two-phase access at the temporary block flow establishment so as to enable the use of these features in the uplink, what is needed in the art is a system and method that provides an indication of support of features such as LATRED, EGPRS2 in uplink, both LATRED and EGPRS2 in uplink employing one-phase access that overcomes deficiencies in the prior art.